Why Do Pro-Gay Advertisements Lack LGBT People?

Today I stumbled across an article asking why is there a complete lack of LGBT them had an actual gay couple on it? Right now there are four states (Washington, Maine Maryland, and Minnesota) voting on marriage equality in November and so far, NONE of those ads feature any LGBT people. They have a lovely straight couple talking about their lesbian friend, a pastor for gay rights, but no gay people at all. Why is this happening? Some say because it makes it easier.

Andy Szekeres a fundraising consultant, feels that having an LGBT person featured in these pro-gay ads would be upsetting to the “tough guys”:

The moderate tough guys we need to flip to win a couple of these races are still the ones who say that gays are gross. Pushing people to an uncomfortable place, it’s something you can’t do in a TV ad,”

Matt McTighe, a Maine campaigner for marriage equality feels the same way, and summarizing that we should do whats good for the cause:

The simple truth is that we are trying to win over the people that are not yet with us. I’m a gay man, and the general rule of thumb for me is that an ad that meets my emotional needs is not necessarily the thing that’s going to change a typical voter’s mind about gay or lesbian people.”

Okay rationally maybe you have a point but…..NO NO NO. Cowering in fear of being who you are is NOT how we are going to win marriage equality. We have to shoe our oppressors naysayers and those who have no idea what being gay is and show that we love laugh and live just as they do. That we want the same things. The ONLY difference is who wee’re attracted to and that different DOES NOT mean better or worse…it just means different.

Truth Wins Out director, Wayne Besen, agrees that we shouldn’t be hiding in the shadows in these pro-LGBT ads:

“If we don’t show ourselves, people aren’t going to get comfortable with who we are”